To learn more about electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
If you ever have a flatend radio cover again you could consider bringing it to one these "paintless dent repair guys", even sharp folds can often be repaired to invisible level.
MY DEAR FRIEND MR CARLSON !!!!!! GREAT JOB!!!! I AM A BRAZILIAN TECHNICIAN 43 YEARS OLD. YOUR TH-cam CHANNEL IS THE BEST RESTAURATION CHANNEL !!!! I LIKE THAT!!!!! THANK YOU, MY DEAR AND GOD, BLESSES YOU!!!!!!
The LED demonstration is very good at showing there is practically no such thing as a short circuit when dealing with RF. The minuscule inductance between the twist and the LED body is sufficient to develop enough voltage across to light the LED.
Hello paul,if its ok to say,..i recommend green background going to blue on channel,with your neat invention of slow power start up ,like you did with that other piece of equipment, i rearly liked that.
Brilliant! I have had a DR-49 since my early teens in the late 70’s. I grew up with this unit at the height of shortwave and the Cold War. Over the years the pots become very scratchy and switching becomes a problem. I plan on doing a couple of refurbs as I have bought several units for refurb and spares. Looking forward seeing as you progress through this project. Thank you!
I'm excited! I have an rf-4800 that i purchased in 1977 or 78. Mine has problems with dirty potentiometers a the bfo drifts. The digital readout, (which was pretty modern when this radio came out), is red instead of green and doesn't quite go blank as it should when i'm tuned to mw. I have picked up a lot of dx on this radio. When Gulf 1 broke out I listened to RCI and BBC to get much of my news. I can't wait to see what comes next. Thanks Paul for your channel. I'm a patreon subscriber and I know it takes a huge amount of effort to make these videos and that doesn't even count the restoration work! I will up my monthly commitment when I start building some of your inventions.
Just purchased one of these radio's from ebay and your 100% correct, atomic clock @ 10000 (Wyoming i think) is an easy pick up here in Western Australia, very sensitive, can't wait for the restoration. Thank you Mr Carlson for keeping us entertained
Panasonic also made the RF-4800. Almost identical to the 4900 but has a red LED display (instead of the green VFD) that only displays on certain bands whereas the green VFD displays on all bands, and some other small differences. Both excellent receivers.
I just bought a RF-4800. Works but needs a lot of cleaning of the crud that has dropped in thru the vents. Especially the flat band switches. As far a recapping, looks like I have a great but long project.
One of the interesting things Mr. Carlson demonstrates is the perfectly 'good' technology of something around 40 years ago. I just had to check when this beauty from Panasonic was produced. A quick google search told me they were rolling these out between 1979 to 1983. Again, 40 years ago ain't what it used to be. I cannot wait for the master to perform his restoration proficiency on this fine piece of equipment. Including his upgrading ideas for the lighting and other aesthetics.
Cool! I've got the European version, the DR49/RF-4900LBS, the difference being that it has black handles and an extra ferrite antenna for LW. I called it a "giant pen-knife". In addition to having a built-in power supply, it has a jack for external power and even a battery compartment. It also has an auxiliar input and a jack for boath phones and an external speaker. It is a very sensitive radio in all bands. It's got very good and clear audio. I'm looking forward to watching the next video. I like the "dull" backlights of my DR49. If I were to replace them, I would use amber led bulbs. By the way, I had to use a compressor to clean the upper part of its pcb. I count 43 screws to be able to open the cabinet.
I had an RF4900 in the 1980's and it was a fantastic receiver. Very stable and sensitive, I used it for RTTY reception for years. I wish I still had it!
I have an RF 4900 that I bought a few years ago at a pawn shop for the princely sum of $125.00 CDN. It was nearly mint and it still works great. When it comes time for a re-cap and restore, I know where to send it now! Great videos, loving the vintage tube stuff. Subscribed!
I love the look of that era of equipment. When I rebuilt my computer I got rid of the molded, streamlined plastic parts and gave in a heavy aluminum face and framing so it looked like a PC if it was an instrument from 1930s thru 1950s. I want my PC to look like Buck Rogers,, no Flash Gordon.
Very interesting look into this beast. I was really impressed by the signal injector lighting up the shorted LED. That RF field was obviously strong enough at the diode junction to create enough potential difference despite the shorted electrode ends. Great!
A big hi to you Mr Carlson. Really enjoy your tutorials as you go to great lengths to make them as easy to follow as possible. Also the attention you have paid to the audio processing on your mic. Stay safe and a big thanks...
Paul, That is truly a great looking receiver. I am looking forward to following your progress on this restoration project. I noticed that you just powered this receiver up on full line voltage. Can you please touch on process you use powering up a solid state receiver if it may have been sitting on a shelf for awhile?; especially with all those caps.
Hooray! I was hoping for the RF-4900 but didn't expect it this quickly! We've had one since 1985 and many SWL hours on this one. The S meter definitely is backlit in our set. Ours has very dirty contact switches so looking forward to the restoration.
@Phil Erickson I have one of these I bought brand new back in 1981! As far as the S meter the RF 4900 has an edge lit meter while the older RF 4800 has a back lit meter. The pots on these units and switches get very corroded over time and need a good treatment of deoxit (BUT YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL TO NOT LET THE RESIDUE OF THE CLEANER DRIP INTO THE OTHER PARTS OF THE UNIT!!!!) ESPECIALLY BE CAREFUL TO NEVER LET ANYTHING CONTACT THE THREE GANG TUNER POT FOR THE MAIN TUNING KNOB!)
Thank you, Mr C. To understand electronics to a degree, to make tools which make the work easier - It is Art. I sincerely enjoy an artist at work! Cheers! PS - adding colour to the displays, is a personal touch. Powder blue in my mind is a good accent.
I have seen a couple of these online. The S-Meter should be backlit. They do only have the one light at one end of each dial. Definitely a good candidate for LED conversions. Apparently it can run on batteries as well, there is a battery compartment on the bottom. You'd need to take that into account when doing lighting. I think a backlight for the meter would be nice as white, but some powder blue for a background and bright white for the active tuner.
Owned one of these in the early 80s and it was my primary SWL receiver until I "upgraded" to a Kenwood R-2000. I regret selling mine, and look forward to the upcoming full video on it. Thank you, Mr. C!
Looks like a really interesting project, looking forward to seeing the restoration - blue LEDs for the active window, green for the none active, white for the meter. - Have fun!!
4 ปีที่แล้ว +1
I know EXACTLY what you mean, I think the ones I put in the Drake TR-4C were from DigiKey, wish I kept the part number, I have to admit I tried several before I got the ones that matched what the original color was supposed to be, just what you described.
I have one of these, so looking forward to the restoration video. My personal preference is to leave the lighting as it came from the factory. I like to use my vintage sets as they were originally made back in their day.
I have one that I picked up on Craigslist last summer. All I had to do was clean all the switches. Gotta love Caig Deoxit. Also have the original factory service manual. Nice bonus.
Hi Paul, I like those receivers, the Japanese from the late 60's and 70's. My Grandmother had a Sony (which model) but I love to tune around at night. I like to augment gear with LEDs, they really look good. Those blue LEDs you describe would look very good I am willing bet. I think a yellow or warm white might look good in the back light for the meter. Thanks sharing and looking forward to see you do a restoration and or modifications... Take care.
I have the 4800 which is actually an analog receiver with a digital (red LED) read out. It has a trimmer to calibrate the digital display. I don't know if the 4900 is analog or pure digital as it's a later model and I'm not familiar with it. They're both beautiful radios! Built like Sherman tanks!
The main difference in the 4800 and the 4900 is that the unit uses a less noisy VF display instead of the LEDs, and the SW-1, AM, and FM band will actually show up on the digital display.
My wife just told me, considering the time I spend with you, to call you Paul instead of Mr Carlson. Perhaps I should take our relationship to the next level and become a patreon.
@@jurgenschuler8389 Nice! The amount of knowledge he shares with us is amazing, and the videos are such HIGH QUALITY that he deserves a patreon subscription 100%. I'll be joining soon. I'm going to use this time to refresh my subscriptions. Some channels beg for money and don't really do much to earn it. Mr. Carlson doesn't beg and he is totally worth the donation.
Wow...lots of grunge in there. I like the blue LED idea but with some indication as to which side of the unit is "on". Looking forward to the new look and fix to this receiver....love your inventions.
Really nice radio! I’ve been getting into a lot of old Boat Anchor restorations thanks to you. Your vids are very interesting, informative, and very well done. Starting off simple and hoping to work my way up to projects such as this.. I really like the older equipment, it has so much more character and history behind them. Plus they were built to last... Wonder if today’s equipment will be around in 70 or 80 years?
For the display I think the blue they used old Drake transceivers looks great, it really stands out. I have a Drake TR 4Cw in pretty good working condition, nice cosmetically. I want to recap the power supply and thoroughly go through the radio before I do much on the air with it. It has an amazing receiver! Learning a lot from your video's …. Thank You
I have one of these. I used it for many years when I was in South Korea working. Built like a tank! The radio survived USPS shipping it to Korea and then back again - no padding in the box, just the cardboard box itself. Arrived both ways without any damage. Would love to know how the restoration went.
There is one of these RF-4900 on eBay with a working VFD (and apparently working overall) for 329 $US. Item 303525359994 for anyone interested. Not me right now... I am still trying to find RF-9000... and saving $$$ for when I do! :)
It looks as if a former Tektronix engineer designed it! I do agree it needs a good cleaning and lube of mechanical switches. Always love a new Mr. Carlson video!😄
Nice video, looking forward to seeing more. I will have to check out how this restore finishes. You are obviously very patient and thorough (or OCD :). When its all done it should be a real beauty. With all the alignment equipment you have at your disposal and advanced RF knowledge, it should work really well. TO bad that THERE IS LITTLE TO HEAR DUE TO SOLAR MINIMUM!! Sorry terrible band conditions are making me a bit crazy. Thanks fer sharing!
Kool! I have one of these... it works great. I also got a non functioning RF-4800. It was just the plug jack on the back. It works on batteries and the 12 volt jack.
Paul, I like the idea of making the "lights" match the VFD's color. Also, I can't wait to see what you have to do to get the crud off of everything that fell in through the top cover vents. I suspect that the receiver will work OK without a lot of repair work, maybe mostly maintenance will be needed. But I'm sure you'll detail how you have to find any failures if needed.
I have a different variant of this radio with the dual rod antenna ... Still one of my favorite HF receivers.. Supposedly theres a drop in replacement speaker that improves the audio but i can't seem to find the poster online who mentioned it...
This could have been one of my childhood dreams, but finally I had to make do with the not very reliables Grundig Satellit and Sony ICF-2001. This Panasonic looks very sexy.
Paul You must be using an lcd to monitor your videos. On my LG OLED TV, the fluorescent display does indeed look powder blue. From my memory of many Heathkit devices, the LG color rendition is spot on.
This looks like it will be an interesting restoration with a challenging alignment. I look forward to seeing the restoration video with your custom dial lighting.
Hi Mr Carlson, nice to see you've raised the seat and lowered the camera in the opening (and closing) shot. Looks more balanced, like the radio light should be. Great channel, best regards.
I have been scraping these things, didn't know they can be restored?!? I have a lot to learn about Electronics besides scrap metal. I have no place to go so I'll be watching your videos.
I had the RF-2900. Of course the fluorescent digital frequency display was incredible when I got it in the 1970's. It worked for about thirty years until everything in it began failing with FM the last to go. I know I was supposed to want to fix it, but I have lots of other shortwave receivers and this heavy "portable" just wasn't worth the effort to fix. I looked at my notes and the radio had a lot of mechanical problems. The bandswitch control was stuck on FM, the tuning gears were tight and skipping, and all this failing mechanical stuff was deep inside the radio. I don't mind working on electronics, but gears and pulleys are not my bag.
My thoughts on the lighting. I think adding more lighting to those displays, is a great idea. Maybe a nice bluish almost xenon look? I was thinking too, maybe find a way to illuminate the pointer needle in red!? That would be absolutely amazing to look at.
very nice unit, VERY EXPENSIVE for the day. I would suggest maybe light green lamps or LEDs. I like blue but, have seen blue doesnt look very good. Looking forward to this one.
Oh wow. I had this receiver's little brother - the DR28 (aka RF-2800) in the late 1980s - no PLL so it'd drift quite badly on the HF bands, but I DX'ed all over the world with that. I do wonder how newer radios without coils and old-fashioned variable capacitors compare for sensitivity etc to these traditional designs.
So, did you ever start the restoration yet? Were you able to get both sides of the dial lights to work simultaneously? I have one which works perfect, but the band selector switch is giving me some problem . Where would you recommend to clean it with tuner cleaner?
Hi, Did you do the light modification for the tuning panel? Also I have just bought one and notice the FM dial is not in sync with the Fluro LED display? For example dialed all way to left and it only goes to 96mhz and will go no lower as the dial is fully to the left. Maybe it needs re calibrating somehow?? ALso I have no sound from SW bands. FM and MW working but no Shortwave even with outside 80m loop antenna. May be pots need cleaning so I will take apart and de oxit.
Thankyou for sharing your incredible electronic knowledge it has helped me a lot. One thing that gets forgotten and taken for granted is simple wire. There are so many varieties,sizes, compositions, coverings, etc. I would be very interested in what you use, why you use it, and where you get it. I must say I do find this tricky to decide on correct wire to use on projects or restorations, and I often get it wrong and the project looks terrible or even fails soon after due to faulty wiring. Might make an interesting video?
Hi, I am lucky to have got one of these beauties, from an expat VE SK ham, here in CX land...dirty switches cleaned out well , I would love to have a go at the illumination, but...at 73, I may leave it for the next owner...cheers, love your videos, 73! Raul, CX3DRG
Thanks for another informative and entertaining video. I think that red for the inactive side and green on the active side of the dials would be functional and attractive.
@Mr Carlson's Lab My problem is the AM/FM bands on both bands I do not get any reception on PART of each, the other half of both is fine, is this possibly a broken oscillator but strange that it would affect AM and FM bands both. All the SW bands work fine. I've had my RF 4900 bought from brand new back in 1981! The way the dial lights work is that the tuning scale for each scale lights up when that band is in use. So if you are using the FM band that left side panel will light only, if you select the SW-3 band the right panel will light up. I've actually aligned this unit on the SW bands and it is one hot receiver when properly aligned and a side benefit is that because it is an analog receiver the noise floor from the unit itself is EXTREMELY low! A very underrated unit. One other thing to point out if you have a tuning knob that has back lash you can stop this by using a very small amount of silicone gel on the tuning dial cord. The S meter IS lighted mini bulb which is pushed into a rubber surround whichtwist fits into the back of the meter.
I bought the RF 4800 (red display, no LW band) new in about 1975. When I bought it, the unit was not as sensitive as my Hallicrafters SX-71 (close but not as good), and the selectivity was a little bit disappointing compared to the crystal phasing in sharp position on the 71. In those days, selectivity was far more important than today, as each 5 khz in the international SW bands had something to listen to. So it was not the DX machine of choice but quite fun as a listening machine, and it was "portable." Lightning took it out about 25 years ago and I had none of your knowledge and there was no TH-cam back then, so it was sadly disposed of. Insurance on it and other household electronics paid for the JRC-535, so my sadness was quickly assuaged. If only you were about twenty five years older so I could have repaired that receiver and the earlier defunct SX-71 (which probably only needed a recap) with your knowledge. I am so glad you are not so old, so you can continue to train the younger generations as you have trained me in my later years. Blessings, Albert
Wow, yes so many tune points! Looks in very good shape though. For the frequency band illumination perhaps a warm white led activated for the side that not in use, and a hotter color temperature activated for the side in use. I think white lighting is best for this receiver. Color, not so pleasing. Very nice project !
I noticed what looked like a battery box next to the power transformer board and Briefly saw what looked like 2 battery compartment doors on the bottom of the radio. Does it run on batteries also?
Yes. 8 size D cells. I also made up a power cord with the coaxial plug for connecting to a cigarette lighter socket. It is tip negative, so be careful.
I would say one of them should light up green. Seems like it would fit the look. I had a Hitachi tape deck with green back-lights and it looks pretty cool.
My suggestion on the lights would be to make the inactive dial a blue that matches the VFD and make the active dial green, whether with bi-color LEDs or two separate single-color LEDs.
(@17:00) - It should be noted that the LED is a short AT DC; at AC, it’s going to have inductive impedance, and - because the LED leads form a loop - that’s a 1-turn coil that’s picking up the induced signal! I’ll bet that if you hook your scope probes up right at the base of the LED, you’ll see a half-wave rectified AC signal at the frequency of your sig-gen. Have fun! 🤗
For display colour, I was thinking the powder blue would be quite nice for the active dial, while a red colour for the inactive dial will help differentiate between the active dials. Being lit from both sides of the dials would be a nice touch.
Thanks for the great video. I will definitely make this "magic wand signal generator". Will be interesting to see how this receiver performs after the restauration.
To learn more about electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
Your videos have incredible sound quality! Can you do a video on the equipment you use to make your videos?
If you ever have a flatend radio cover again you could consider bringing it to one these "paintless dent repair guys", even sharp folds can often be repaired to invisible level.
MY DEAR FRIEND MR CARLSON !!!!!! GREAT JOB!!!! I AM A BRAZILIAN TECHNICIAN 43 YEARS OLD. YOUR TH-cam CHANNEL IS THE BEST RESTAURATION CHANNEL !!!! I LIKE THAT!!!!! THANK YOU, MY DEAR AND GOD, BLESSES YOU!!!!!!
MR CARSON WHAT A KOOL pananasic Receviver
What a treat. Stuck at home with a fresh glass of iced tea and a new Mr. Carlson video. Thanks for one of life's perfect little moments.... :-)
The LED demonstration is very good at showing there is practically no such thing as a short circuit when dealing with RF. The minuscule inductance between the twist and the LED body is sufficient to develop enough voltage across to light the LED.
Hello paul,if its ok to say,..i recommend green background going to blue on channel,with your neat invention of slow power start up ,like you did with that other piece of equipment, i rearly liked that.
Brilliant! I have had a DR-49 since my early teens in the late 70’s. I grew up with this unit at the height of shortwave and the Cold War. Over the years the pots become very scratchy and switching becomes a problem. I plan on doing a couple of refurbs as I have bought several units for refurb and spares. Looking forward seeing as you progress through this project. Thank you!
They were marketed as National in Europe, I believe.
drippinglass National Panasonic.
Terry Cominos
Kool! I’ve only see pictures. I have the American units. The 4800 and 4900.
I'm excited! I have an rf-4800 that i purchased in 1977 or 78. Mine has problems with dirty potentiometers a the bfo drifts. The digital readout, (which was pretty modern when this radio came out), is red instead of green and doesn't quite go blank as it should when i'm tuned to mw.
I have picked up a lot of dx on this radio. When Gulf 1 broke out I listened to RCI and BBC to get much of my news. I can't wait to see what comes next. Thanks Paul for your channel. I'm a patreon subscriber and I know it takes a huge amount of effort to make these videos and that doesn't even count the restoration work! I will up my monthly commitment when I start building some of your inventions.
@wilsonri
The 4900 will actually digitally display the frequency of AM, FM, and SW1 bands, unlike the 4800.
Just purchased one of these radio's from ebay and your 100% correct, atomic clock @ 10000 (Wyoming i think) is an easy pick up here in Western Australia, very sensitive, can't wait for the restoration.
Thank you Mr Carlson for keeping us entertained
Close! Fort Collins, Colorado.
@@Ziferten thanks for the correction
Panasonic also made the RF-4800. Almost identical to the 4900 but has a red LED display (instead of the green VFD) that only displays on certain bands whereas the green VFD displays on all bands, and some other small differences. Both excellent receivers.
I have both. Very similar.
The 4900 has a white speaker as well.
@@drippinglass I have both models as well.
I just bought a RF-4800. Works but needs a lot of cleaning of the crud that has dropped in thru the vents. Especially the flat band switches. As far a recapping, looks like I have a great but long project.
One of the interesting things Mr. Carlson demonstrates is the perfectly 'good' technology of something around 40 years ago. I just had to check when this beauty from Panasonic was produced. A quick google search told me they were rolling these out between 1979 to 1983. Again, 40 years ago ain't what it used to be. I cannot wait for the master to perform his restoration proficiency on this fine piece of equipment. Including his upgrading ideas for the lighting and other aesthetics.
Cool! I've got the European version, the DR49/RF-4900LBS, the difference being that it has black handles and an extra ferrite antenna for LW. I called it a "giant pen-knife". In addition to having a built-in power supply, it has a jack for external power and even a battery compartment. It also has an auxiliar input and a jack for boath phones and an external speaker. It is a very sensitive radio in all bands. It's got very good and clear audio. I'm looking forward to watching the next video. I like the "dull" backlights of my DR49. If I were to replace them, I would use amber led bulbs. By the way, I had to use a compressor to clean the upper part of its pcb. I count 43 screws to be able to open the cabinet.
Great video! I've got one of these RF-4900s and they're excellent receivers! I'm glad that they're being repaired & put back into service.
That’s an amazing thing with the LED at the end. How is that even possible?! Wow!
You produce the BEST videos on TH-cam. You are a genius with a real talent to teach people.
No wonder these units are so expensive! The amount of custom metalwork in the switches and so on is amazing! Thanks for the look inside..
I had an RF4900 in the 1980's and it was a fantastic receiver. Very stable and sensitive, I used it for RTTY reception for years. I wish I still had it!
I have an RF 4900 that I bought a few years ago at a pawn shop for the princely sum of $125.00 CDN. It was nearly mint and it still works great. When it comes time for a re-cap and restore, I know where to send it now! Great videos, loving the vintage tube stuff. Subscribed!
I’m lucky to have found both the 4800 and the 4900 in near mint condition with displays fully functional. Great old receivers!
I love the look of that era of equipment. When I rebuilt my computer I got rid of the molded, streamlined plastic parts and gave in a heavy aluminum face and framing so it looked like a PC if it was an instrument from 1930s thru 1950s.
I want my PC to look like Buck Rogers,, no Flash Gordon.
LOVE It "removing enough screws to start my own hardware store..."
He ain't lyin'
Very interesting look into this beast. I was really impressed by the signal injector lighting up the shorted LED. That RF field was obviously strong enough at the diode junction to create enough potential difference despite the shorted electrode ends. Great!
Beautiful device, not only outside, but also inside.
Just picked a pristine one up today
A big hi to you Mr Carlson. Really enjoy your tutorials as you go to great lengths to make them as easy to follow as possible. Also the attention you have paid to the audio processing on your mic. Stay safe and a big thanks...
Paul,
That is truly a great looking receiver. I am looking forward to following your progress on this restoration project.
I noticed that you just powered this receiver up on full line voltage. Can you please touch on process you use powering up a solid state receiver if it may have been sitting on a shelf for awhile?; especially with all those caps.
My uncle's had one of these since he bought it new. I always loved playing with it when I'd visit in the mid-'80s.
Hooray! I was hoping for the RF-4900 but didn't expect it this quickly! We've had one since 1985 and many SWL hours on this one. The S meter definitely is backlit in our set. Ours has very dirty contact switches so looking forward to the restoration.
@Phil Erickson
I have one of these I bought brand new back in 1981! As far as the S meter the RF 4900 has an edge lit meter while the older RF 4800 has a back lit meter. The pots on these units and switches get very corroded over time and need a good treatment of deoxit (BUT YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL TO NOT LET THE RESIDUE OF THE CLEANER DRIP INTO THE OTHER PARTS OF THE UNIT!!!!) ESPECIALLY BE CAREFUL TO NEVER LET ANYTHING CONTACT THE THREE GANG TUNER POT FOR THE MAIN TUNING KNOB!)
Thank you, Mr C. To understand electronics to a degree, to make tools which make the work easier - It is Art. I sincerely enjoy an artist at work! Cheers!
PS - adding colour to the displays, is a personal touch. Powder blue in my mind is a good accent.
I have seen a couple of these online. The S-Meter should be backlit. They do only have the one light at one end of each dial. Definitely a good candidate for LED conversions.
Apparently it can run on batteries as well, there is a battery compartment on the bottom. You'd need to take that into account when doing lighting.
I think a backlight for the meter would be nice as white, but some powder blue for a background and bright white for the active tuner.
You can turn off the backlights and display to save battery power with front switches. Even on AC.
Owned one of these in the early 80s and it was my primary SWL receiver until I "upgraded" to a Kenwood R-2000. I regret selling mine, and look forward to the upcoming full video on it. Thank you, Mr. C!
Looks like a really interesting project, looking forward to seeing the restoration - blue LEDs for the active window, green for the none active, white for the meter. - Have fun!!
I know EXACTLY what you mean, I think the ones I put in the Drake TR-4C were from DigiKey, wish I kept the part number, I have to admit I tried several before I got the ones that matched what the original color was supposed to be, just what you described.
I have one of these, so looking forward to the restoration video. My personal preference is to leave the lighting as it came from the factory. I like to use my vintage sets as they were originally made back in their day.
I have one that I picked up on Craigslist last summer. All I had to do was clean all the switches. Gotta love Caig Deoxit. Also have the original factory service manual. Nice bonus.
Recap it, immediately. Seriously, any bad cap would or could ruin a treasure.
Bruce Nitroxpro
Are you sure?
My brother has a couyof old Moog synths, including a ‘69 modular.
I think the caps are factory.
@@drippinglass I know nothing about it, but IMHO if you watch enough of Paul's videos you will get some idea what can happen with bad caps.
Another great video. Enjoyed this one greatly. Excellent narration and filming!
Glad you enjoyed it
Beautiful radio, Paul! I had an RF-2900 that I sold, regrettably, 3 or 4 years ago.
Daft
You can always find a TH-cam commenter to rub salt in the wound ...
Hi Paul, I like those receivers, the Japanese from the late 60's and 70's. My Grandmother had a Sony (which model) but I love to tune around at night. I like to augment gear with LEDs, they really look good. Those blue LEDs you describe would look very good I am willing bet. I think a yellow or warm white might look good in the back light for the meter. Thanks sharing and looking forward to see you do a restoration and or modifications... Take care.
I have the 4800 which is actually an analog receiver with a digital (red LED) read out. It has a trimmer to calibrate the digital display. I don't know if the 4900 is analog or pure digital as it's a later model and I'm not familiar with it. They're both beautiful radios! Built like Sherman tanks!
The main difference in the 4800 and the 4900 is that the unit uses a less noisy VF display instead of the LEDs, and the SW-1, AM, and FM band will actually show up on the digital display.
5:30 I love the warm white incandescent glow, rather than adding a colour why not have the side in use be brighter?
That's exactly what I thought; it seems more consistent with the original idea of this receiver. Besides, I H*A*T*E blue LEDs.
Absolutely agree, too many LEDs in todays world, we should cherish any opportunity to enjoy the warmth (fire) of incandescent light
My wife just told me, considering the time I spend with you, to call you Paul instead of Mr Carlson. Perhaps I should take our relationship to the next level and become a patreon.
Do it!
@@mannys9130 Done. Next level.
@@jurgenschuler8389 Nice! The amount of knowledge he shares with us is amazing, and the videos are such HIGH QUALITY that he deserves a patreon subscription 100%. I'll be joining soon. I'm going to use this time to refresh my subscriptions. Some channels beg for money and don't really do much to earn it. Mr. Carlson doesn't beg and he is totally worth the donation.
@@mannys9130 A channel owner begging me to join his or her Patreon is a sure-fire way to make sure I don't join.
Mr Carlson your painasonic RF 4900 radio Receiver is cool
Wow...lots of grunge in there. I like the blue LED idea but with some indication as to which side of the unit is "on". Looking forward to the new look and fix to this receiver....love your inventions.
Being a Radio Ham myself I am looking forwards to that restoration .
It's huge, but it is BEAUTIFUL !!!
These are very good receivers , well worth time and effort.
Really nice radio! I’ve been getting into a lot of old Boat Anchor restorations thanks to you. Your vids are very interesting, informative, and very well done. Starting off simple and hoping to work my way up to projects such as this.. I really like the older equipment, it has so much more character and history behind them. Plus they were built to last... Wonder if today’s equipment will be around in 70 or 80 years?
Have an RF-4800 that I want to work on soon. These radios have great audio
They sure do! Thanks for your comment Louis.
For the display I think the blue they used old Drake transceivers looks great, it really stands out. I have a Drake TR 4Cw in pretty good working condition, nice cosmetically. I want to recap the power supply and thoroughly go through the radio before I do much on the air with it. It has an amazing receiver! Learning a lot from your video's …. Thank You
I have one of these. I used it for many years when I was in South Korea working. Built like a tank! The radio survived USPS shipping it to Korea and then back again - no padding in the box, just the cardboard box itself. Arrived both ways without any damage. Would love to know how the restoration went.
There is one of these RF-4900 on eBay with a working VFD (and apparently working overall) for 329 $US.
Item 303525359994 for anyone interested.
Not me right now... I am still trying to find RF-9000... and saving $$$ for when I do! :)
It looks as if a former Tektronix engineer designed it! I do agree it needs a good cleaning and lube of mechanical switches. Always love a new Mr. Carlson video!😄
Oh man does this hit the spot! If nothing else it'll give me the motivation to finally open it up and clean the switches. Merci, Mr. Carlson!
Fascinating video. I was gifted a Yaesu FRG-7700 a few years ago. I'm always amazed at how much physical 'stuff' sits inside radios of this era.
Nice video, looking forward to seeing more. I will have to check out how this restore finishes. You are obviously very patient and thorough (or OCD :). When its all done it should be a real beauty. With all the alignment equipment you have at your disposal and advanced RF knowledge, it should work really well. TO bad that THERE IS LITTLE TO HEAR DUE TO SOLAR MINIMUM!! Sorry terrible band conditions are making me a bit crazy. Thanks fer sharing!
Kool! I have one of these... it works great.
I also got a non functioning RF-4800.
It was just the plug jack on the back. It works on batteries and the 12 volt jack.
Paul, I like the idea of making the "lights" match the VFD's color. Also, I can't wait to see what you have to do to get the crud off of everything that fell in through the top cover vents. I suspect that the receiver will work OK without a lot of repair work, maybe mostly maintenance will be needed. But I'm sure you'll detail how you have to find any failures if needed.
3:30 When you were checking for RF, I had thoughts of degaussing the old-style CRT tubes.
Beautiful device, wish I had space to start a collection.
I have a different variant of this radio with the dual rod antenna ... Still one of my favorite HF receivers.. Supposedly theres a drop in replacement speaker that improves the audio but i can't seem to find the poster online who mentioned it...
I have same kind radio but model is dr49 panasonic. Nice and working unit
This could have been one of my childhood dreams, but finally I had to make do with the not very reliables Grundig Satellit and Sony ICF-2001. This Panasonic looks very sexy.
Paul
You must be using an lcd to monitor your videos. On my LG OLED TV, the fluorescent display does indeed look powder blue. From my memory of many Heathkit devices, the LG color rendition is spot on.
This looks like it will be an interesting restoration with a challenging alignment. I look forward to seeing the restoration video with your custom dial lighting.
What are the plastic covers on the bottom? Almost looked like battery housings...
@I own this very unit from new, it is the battery trays. It takes 8 D cells.!
Hi Mr Carlson, nice to see you've raised the seat and lowered the camera in the opening (and closing) shot. Looks more balanced, like the radio light should be.
Great channel, best regards.
I have been scraping these things, didn't know they can be restored?!? I have a lot to learn about Electronics besides scrap metal. I have no place to go so I'll be watching your videos.
I had the RF-2900. Of course the fluorescent digital frequency display was incredible when I got it in the 1970's. It worked for about thirty years until everything in it began failing with FM the last to go. I know I was supposed to want to fix it, but I have lots of other shortwave receivers and this heavy "portable" just wasn't worth the effort to fix.
I looked at my notes and the radio had a lot of mechanical problems. The bandswitch control was stuck on FM, the tuning gears were tight and skipping, and all this failing mechanical stuff was deep inside the radio. I don't mind working on electronics, but gears and pulleys are not my bag.
My thoughts on the lighting. I think adding more lighting to those displays, is a great idea. Maybe a nice bluish almost xenon look? I was thinking too, maybe find a way to illuminate the pointer needle in red!? That would be absolutely amazing to look at.
Now that was cool! I would love to see more on that receiver, very interesting. Oh, and sky blue lighting sounds great.
very nice unit, VERY EXPENSIVE for the day. I would suggest maybe light green lamps or LEDs. I like blue but, have seen blue doesnt look very good. Looking forward to this one.
I like the Marantz "blue", Thanks Paul.
Oh wow. I had this receiver's little brother - the DR28 (aka RF-2800) in the late 1980s - no PLL so it'd drift quite badly on the HF bands, but I DX'ed all over the world with that. I do wonder how newer radios without coils and old-fashioned variable capacitors compare for sensitivity etc to these traditional designs.
Im one of the proud owner of this DR49 but its a RF-4900B Watching this interesting video from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 73
9W2XR
I think matching blue would be perfect!
So, did you ever start the restoration yet? Were you able to get both sides of the dial lights to work simultaneously?
I have one which works perfect, but the band selector switch is giving me some problem . Where would you recommend to clean it with tuner cleaner?
Paul I would install a tri led red and green. Thanks for your knowledge.
Hi, Did you do the light modification for the tuning panel? Also I have just bought one and notice the FM dial is not in sync with the Fluro LED display? For example dialed all way to left and it only goes to 96mhz and will go no lower as the dial is fully to the left. Maybe it needs re calibrating somehow?? ALso I have no sound from SW bands. FM and MW working but no Shortwave even with outside 80m loop antenna. May be pots need cleaning so I will take apart and de oxit.
Thankyou for sharing your incredible electronic knowledge it has helped me a lot. One thing that gets forgotten and taken for granted is simple wire. There are so many varieties,sizes, compositions, coverings, etc. I would be very interested in what you use, why you use it, and where you get it. I must say I do find this tricky to decide on correct wire to use on projects or restorations, and I often get it wrong and the project looks terrible or even fails soon after due to faulty wiring. Might make an interesting video?
Hi, I am lucky to have got one of these beauties, from an expat VE SK ham, here in CX land...dirty switches cleaned out well , I would love to have a go at the illumination, but...at 73, I may leave it for the next owner...cheers, love your videos, 73! Raul, CX3DRG
Thanks for another informative and entertaining video. I think that red for the inactive side and green on the active side of the dials would be functional and attractive.
Add 2nd panel light to each display, wired nor to the opposite display. Easy to designate a 'active' vs 'standby' color.
What!?!? How did that shorted LED still light up? Fascinating.
I had that very Panasonic. Beautiful looking and a fine performer.
@Mr Carlson's Lab
My problem is the AM/FM bands on both bands I do not get any reception on PART of each, the other half of both is fine, is this possibly a broken oscillator but strange that it would affect AM and FM bands both. All the SW bands work fine. I've had my RF 4900 bought from brand new back in 1981! The way the dial lights work is that the tuning scale for each scale lights up when that band is in use. So if you are using the FM band that left side panel will light only, if you select the SW-3 band the right panel will light up. I've actually aligned this unit on the SW bands and it is one hot receiver when properly aligned and a side benefit is that because it is an analog receiver the noise floor from the unit itself is EXTREMELY low! A very underrated unit. One other thing to point out if you have a tuning knob that has back lash you can stop this by using a very small amount of silicone gel on the tuning dial cord. The S meter IS lighted mini bulb which is pushed into a rubber surround whichtwist fits into the back of the meter.
I bought the RF 4800 (red display, no LW band) new in about 1975. When I bought it, the unit was not as sensitive as my Hallicrafters SX-71 (close but not as good), and the selectivity was a little bit disappointing compared to the crystal phasing in sharp position on the 71. In those days, selectivity was far more important than today, as each 5 khz in the international SW bands had something to listen to. So it was not the DX machine of choice but quite fun as a listening machine, and it was "portable." Lightning took it out about 25 years ago and I had none of your knowledge and there was no TH-cam back then, so it was sadly disposed of. Insurance on it and other household electronics paid for the JRC-535, so my sadness was quickly assuaged. If only you were about twenty five years older so I could have repaired that receiver and the earlier defunct SX-71 (which probably only needed a recap) with your knowledge. I am so glad you are not so old, so you can continue to train the younger generations as you have trained me in my later years. Blessings, Albert
Love the idea color wise! That will look great in blue for sure.
Beautiful ! The colour blue would be nice !
Wow, yes so many tune points! Looks in very good shape though. For the frequency band illumination perhaps a warm white led activated for the side that not in use, and a hotter color temperature activated for the side in use. I think white lighting is best for this receiver. Color, not so pleasing. Very nice project !
A radio of true beauty. Incredible!
Love the look of this thing. Great video.
Good idea for a Carlson design: replace the vacuum fluorescent display with an led or tft display.
Out most of the youtubers i watch you have one the best sounding videos on here
I have A Panasonic DR-48 almost the same model but it was purchased in Australia made to use 240 volts but I converted it to American 120volts.
Looking forward to this restoration !
I noticed what looked like a battery box next to the power transformer board and Briefly saw what looked like 2 battery compartment doors on the bottom of the radio. Does it run on batteries also?
Yes. 8 size D cells. I also made up a power cord with the coaxial plug for connecting to a cigarette lighter socket. It is tip negative, so be careful.
I would say one of them should light up green. Seems like it would fit the look. I had a Hitachi tape deck with green back-lights and it looks pretty cool.
My suggestion on the lights would be to make the inactive dial a blue that matches the VFD and make the active dial green, whether with bi-color LEDs or two separate single-color LEDs.
I'm really anxious to see the restoration on this radio. It's a great looking radio.
Can you suggest a way to understand and begin to fix and restore tube radios
And the same for the complicated radios like the one in this video
(@17:00) - It should be noted that the LED is a short AT DC; at AC, it’s going to have inductive impedance, and - because the LED leads form a loop - that’s a 1-turn coil that’s picking up the induced signal! I’ll bet that if you hook your scope probes up right at the base of the LED, you’ll see a half-wave rectified AC signal at the frequency of your sig-gen. Have fun! 🤗
For display colour, I was thinking the powder blue would be quite nice for the active dial, while a red colour for the inactive dial will help differentiate between the active dials. Being lit from both sides of the dials would be a nice touch.
Thanks for the great video. I will definitely make this "magic wand signal generator". Will be interesting to see how this receiver performs after the restauration.